The Mockingjay Returns
by Mad.0522
Summary: Katniss and Peeta think they are finally safe until one night their son is taken from his room. The next day there is a knock on the door. Hoping to find their son, Baylor at the door, the find the head of their son's stuffed rabbit cut off with a mockingjay symbol burned in the face of it. Katniss is determined to find her son, but at what cost?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Cry

"Goodnight, my darling," I say to the little boy closing his eyes and turning in his bed. "Goodnight, mama," he says back to me before I close his door. As I'm walking quietly down the hallway I hear a noise coming from downstairs. My home is usually so quiet at night it's deafening, so I instantly become worried. I take off my shoes and run towards the closet in the spare bedroom making sure not to make any sound. I get the spare bow and sheath of arrows that I stashed up here in case of an emergency. I keep the other set downstairs in the study, but I don't want to take a chance. I slowly make my way down the steps, skipping the ones that I know squeak when you apply pressure to them. As I near the bottom of the steps, I reach behind me and feel the cool metal of the arrow. I load my bow with the arrow and pull back ready to let it fly. My mind is envisioning where the arrow will go, right through the heart. My fingers are ready to let go as I turn the corner.

"Woah, what are you doing," Peeta almost screams at me as he sees my arrow pointed directly at his chest. I let my bow down and put the arrow back.

"I heard a sound, but I thought you were upstairs," I say back to him trying to defend myself.

"My leg was hurting me so I had to get out of that bed. I wanted to walk around or do something so I came down-"

"Mama! Daddy!" I turn my head to the sounds of my child screaming. I run upstairs this time not caring if I make a sound. I load my bow before I even know what I'm doing. My hand reached for the doorknob, but it jerks away almost instantly from the heat. I look down and see the smoke coming from under the door. I back up and run into the door with my shoulder but it doesn't budge. I drop my bow and run downstairs and into the study to get the lamp that sits on the desk by my mother and father's wedding picture. I run back upstairs, but Peeta is already up there and the door is open. I walk into Baylor's room and see that it's as black as charcoal. I walk towards his bed, but see that there is no one in it.

"He's not here," I say with tears in my eyes.

"Where is he? We just heard him," Peeta looks at me with concern in his eyes.

"I don't know..." I walk towards the open window.

"Peeta...that window wasn't open when I put him to bed." I look at Peeta and I fear that

what we are both thinking might be true. Our son has been kidnapped.

I go downstairs and walk into the study. I move the carpet that has been hiding the loose floorboard where I put my extra bow and sheath of arrows, except I only grab the extra arrows. I head out of the study and I am ready to walk out of the front door when Peeta stops me.

"Where are you going? What are you doing?"

"I'm going to track whoever took him!" I don't even notice that I've been crying until I hear that my voice is raspy.

"Katniss you can't. It's too dark, and you could get yourself hurt," Peeta is pleading with me.

"I can't just do nothing! We have no idea who took him! We have no idea where he is! I can't let his voice be unheard. He's probably so scared Peeta," I am full on crying now. Peeta walks over to console me, but my tears are not sad tears they are tears of rage. I'm filled with a fire hot rage that is consuming my being. I feel as if I'm about to explode. I brush Peeta off and walk out of the door. I hear the door shut behind me and hear the loud crunching of snow. I look back and see that Peeta has followed me outside.

"What are you doing? Just go back inside. I can do this by myself," I am so filled with hatred that I am practically screaming at him.

"No Katniss," I stop dead in my tracks. Peeta very rarely says no, so I know that he isn't going to go back inside. I turn around to look at him.

"He's my son too! It seems like you always forget that. We are a team Katniss, and it's not like in the Games. We both have to work together to keep him alive, so that means that if one of us does something, we both have to do it." Peeta has determination in his eyes and it's not letting up. My anger subsides and I realize that I am freezing.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just scared, okay? I've lost too many people and if I lost him I don't think that I would be able to recover from that." He walks over to me and takes me in his arms. I can feel the warmth seep back into me. I slowly breathe in his scent, he must've been making bread. It feels like an eternity before we pull away from each other. We walk back inside the house and start our plan. After hours of planning and replanning what to do we hear a knock on the door. We both answer the door hoping to find Baylor, instead we find the head of his stuffed rabbit with something burned into it.

"Is that-" The words were just beginning to form in Peeta's mouth before I cut him off. "A mockingjay."


	2. Chapter 2

Anger rushes back into me. I can feel the heat in my face and I know it's turning red. My son was kidnapped because of me. I turn to look at Peeta, but he's gone. I don't know when he left or where he went, but I don't care. I walk out of the front door picking up the rabbit head and walk over to Haymitch's. I don't really know what I'm going to do or say all I know is that I have to talk to him. I walk up the steps leading to his front door and can tell that something is off. I smell freshly baked goods and hear laughter. This is unusual from Haymitch's usual rotten-smelling, quiet home. I knock on the front door and Haymitch answers it with a smile on his face. My eyes flicker to the dining room that's visible from the front door. At first I don't recognize her without her wacky colored wigs and her face covered with makeup, but it's Effie Trinkett. As soon as I see both of them, I start crying. I don't know why I start, but I can't stop. Haymitch's hand guides me inside the house and he shuts the door when I'm inside. They try to get me to calm down, but I can't hear either of them over the sound of my crying. After what seems like hours of crying I finally run out of tears.

"What's wrong sweetheart," Haymitch asks me.

"Baylor's gone. Somebody took him. It happened last night. There was a knock at the door this morning and Peeta and I thought it would be him, but it was this," I raise up the rabbit's head with the Mockingjay burned into it.

"Is that your Mockingjay symbol?" Effie asks trying to hold back tears. I nod my head because I fear that I'm going to start crying again.

"Where's Peeta at?" asks me.

"I don't know. I turned back to look at him and he was gone." As the last words come out of my mouth I know exactly where he is. I walk out of Haymitch's house, leaving the rabbit on the kitchen table, and walk towards our house. When I get in the house I head towards the steps that lead to the basement.

"Peeta…" I whisper down the basement steps. I hear crying and know that he's down there. I walk down the steps not knowing what awaits me. By the time I get to the bottom of the stairs I can barely see, but I know exactly where he is because I have had to coax him out of this spot many times before. I sit down on the cold floor next to him, and take his head into my lap.

"I'm sorry Katniss. I had to stop myself, so I came down here."

"I know. I've helped you many times before," I say in my sing song voice that I only get when talking to my son.

"It's just that I haven't seen that in so long. The thoughts came rushing back like a flood. All I wanted to do in that moment was kill you even though I know that those memories aren't real. That they're just from the hijacking." I softly stroke his blonde hair that's grown out a bit. When he lets his hair grow out it gets curly. Not huge man made curls like Effie's old wigs, but soft natural curls that surround his face perfectly. The first time his hair grew out long enough to have those blond curls it was strange. I had never seen him like that, but it gave him a new quality. It was refreshing to see something that hadn't been made by the Capitol, but was of his own being. Baylor looks just like him, which makes me happy. Well, looked. I don't know what to think, but it was nice not to think about how my life is crumbling down, how all my walls are breaking and I feel like I'm drowning. I just want to find him. I get up off the cold basement floor and walk towards the creaky wooden steps that will lead me upstairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get out of this house. I feel like I'm about to die from the sadness."

"I'll come with you, and don't try to stop me." I don't refuse his offer to come. I want him to come with me because he's the only stable thing I have left. We walk upstairs and head towards the front door. We walk out of the door and down the marble steps that leads to the path out of the Victor's Village. As we walk towards the town square there is a loud shriek. I run towards the square where the new televisions have been put in. The other ones got destroyed in the bombings, and it's still important that we can see the updates that are happening in the Capitol. It has the same name, but it's not the same Capitol. They say that they're trying to think of names for all the districts and the Capitol. Kind of like before, hundreds of years before. Back when they had that democracy. All the thoughts leave my mind as my eyes see the screens. It's my boy. The small boy with blonde with little curls. The boy who looks so much like Peeta you wouldn't believe that he is my child also. I feel Peeta's hand fall on my shoulder and I can hear him trying to catch his breath.

"Mama...Mama these people said that you did a bad thing. They said that you ruined their lives. Mama I'm scared." I turn into Peeta and sob. He puts his hand on my head and strokes my hair. All I want to do is kill. Peeta lets go of me and soon we are back inside Haymitch's house.

"What are we going to do," I ask Haymitch, who is sitting across the table from me.

"Who could he be talking about?" Peeta says from across the room.

"People from the Capitol," I say, more to Haymitch than Peeta who asked the question. I expect Haymitch to back me up on this.

"The people of the Capitol wouldn't do something like this sweetheart. At least the new people. It's been a few years since you brought down the Capitol. The people of the new Capitol are grateful. They applaud you." I look up from staring at my hands. I know who would want revenge for what I did to them. "They're from Thirteen."


	3. Chapter 3

"You have 24 hours, and then we are coming after you. Go!" The men told me yesterday. I'm guessing that my twenty-four hours are almost up. When I left yesterday it was midnight. The sun set about 2 hours ago. I'm scared, but I know that I have to keep going. I know that I have to try to put as much distance between me and those men as much as I can. "This is your parent's past, and now it's your present. They're going to have so much fun when they find out where their son is. I hope she dies when she finds out how her son died; how he died living through the torture of the Games. Then she'll know how we felt when she killed our president." What did he mean by that? Where am I? I run past a boulder that I'm pretty sure I've already ran by before. My head hurts, so I decide to stop and sit down. I look around at my surroundings. There are a lot of trees and greenery. It's like the woods at home, except I'm all alone. In school, we learned about the Hunger Games. My teachers say that they were like torture for the people that were in them. I know that my mom and dad were in them. I know that my mom is the reason why we don't have them anymore. Sometimes they show us pictures. These woods look a lot like those pictures. I think that I'm in the same arena as the first Games; well not the arena because they tore those down, but a replica of the arena. I just want to go home.

I scoot back into a bush so I won't be seen. My heart starts racing and I feel like I'm going to throw up. I lean back against a tree and rest my head on it. I keep running the last few days through my head. I was taken from my room. I had to make a video to send to my mom. I was thrown into this arena. I now only have a few hours until I die. I try to think of all the things that I can. I try to remember the memories I have. Me and my mom playing in the meadow, while dad was working in the bakery. Dad showing me how to paint and bake. Running through the woods and playing find me with my parents. Find me is this game where one person has to hide while the others have to find them. I would always win at find me because I would hide my body under the ground while my head and arms were hidden in a bush. They could never find me. I rise up off the tree and start digging up the ground. I dig until my fingers start to bleed. I lay down in the small bed in the ground and I start to cover myself with the dirt. I hear a loud gong, and know that it must be time for them to come after me. I start covering myself up faster. My heart is racing and I feel like I'm going to throw up again. My entire body is covered in dirt and I'm in a cluster of bushes. I lay my head back again a rock and take a deep breath. I think that I can last. A grin forms on my face. I think I can outsmart them.


	4. Chapter 4

"Momma! Momma I'm over here! Help me!" I run through the woods, my feet catching on tree roots and underbrush, as I try to get closer to the voice calling to me. The run seems endless until I finally reach him. He's caught in a net, and his hand is reaching out for me. I've been here before, but I can't figure out where until I see the spear go through his body. I wake up with a sweat on my face, and I'm screaming. I'm trying to catch my breath when I hear someone run up the steps. I bring my knees to my chest and try to breathe. It feels like I'm drowning and I can't catch my breath. Peeta appears in the doorway. "Are you okay? What is it?" I look up at him and I feel the tears starting to form. I can feel the screams come up, but they get stuck in my throat. He comes around to the side of the bed that I am on. He sits down beside me and I lean my head against his shoulder. His shoulders are still as familiar and strong as they were in the first Games. "This is my fault. It's all my fault. I thought that I had paid for the Games, the rebellion, everything. I lost my sister. Maybe it would've been better if I had just died in those first Games. None of this would be happening." I get up off the bed and walk into the hallway. I don't know what to do. It's been 3 days since we watched the video of Baylor. We haven't seen anything since.

I don't notice that I'm walking towards the town center until I almost run into the memorial that was put in place. It's a memorial for all the people that died in the bombings. For all the places that were destroyed, and for the people that died under the scrutiny of the Capitol. I don't know how long I walk around for, but by the time get back to the Victor's Village it's dusk. I walk up the steps to my house, but hesitate at the door. This place feels more like a prison every day that I don't find him. I'm stuck inside trying to find a way out. Haymitch left yesterday to go to District 3 to see if he could trace where the video of Baylor was made. I walk inside and smell food. I haven't eaten much the past few days. I don't think that I could keep anything down if I tried.

I walk into the brightly lit kitchen that has many different smells. There is a stew cooking on the stove, and fresh bread on the kitchen table. I sit down and put my head in my hands. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean it…or maybe I did. I don't really know how to feel right now. I just feel so out of place. I feel like I'm a stranger watching all of this happen from the outside. I just thought that all of this would be over. I thought we would be safe." I get up from the table and walk over to Peeta. I wrap my arms around his torso and hold him tightly. Afraid that he might be taken too. I listen to his heartbeat, steady and constant, not wanting to be the first to let go.

Before I know it, the television that's in the living room jumps to life. Sending a white light across the room. Peeta and I make our way to the room when we hear a familiar voice. The voice sends chills down my spine and I want to run away in fear. The voice belongs to Claudius Templesmith, the one who announces the beginning of the Hunger Games. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 74th Hunger Games." The video that plays next is the one that was played during the interview with Caesar Flickerman at the end of the Games. Claudius' voice comes through again this time announcing the 75th Hunger Games. Many images flash past the screen. Most of them I still remember every night when I sleep. The video must have moved on to the rebellion because when I focus back on the television there are small clips of what happened. The interviews with Caesar Flickerman and Peeta. The propos I did for Thirteen, me shooting Coin instead of Snow. The TV goes black after that. Then, another voice comes through the screen. One that I don't recognize. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for tuning into this special program today. I bet some of you are wondering what's going on, but we'll get to that in a moment. I have a message for Katniss Everdeen. The girl who was on fire. The girl who took down the Capitol, and betrayed the only people who believed in her. Killing the only person who helped her during the rebellion. I know these few days have been rough for you, but I think that it's going to get worse." Baylor comes onto the screen and I let out a small cry. I hear a man tell him that he has 24 hours and then they're coming after him. Then someone else says, "Let the 76th Hunger Games begin!" They all share a laugh together. The original voice comes back. "It has been over twenty-hours since your son has entered that arena. We are now going after him, but don't worry! In true Hunger Games style, you will be able to watch the entire thing in real time. You'll be able to watch us kill your son. Your only hope. Then maybe you can feel what we feel. See you soon!" A gong rings out and they leave to go in the arena.

I run outside and throw up. I sit down next to the steps of the house and cry. I cry until I run out of tears. The sadness is replaced by rage. I get up and walk back into the house. I go upstairs and put on a plain shirt and my father's old hunting jacket. I pull on my worn leather boots and head downstairs. I grab my bow and the two sheaths of arrows from the study. I'm walking back towards the door when I see Peeta standing in the doorway. "I'm going to go hunt. Or break things. Probably both. Do you want to come?" Peeta looks at me and fights with himself. He keeps saying things to himself and moving rapidly. He runs towards me and knocks me on the ground. I don't know what's happening, then I remember back to when he was hijacked. The images of us in the arena probably set him off and he couldn't sort out what was real and not real. He can usually tell the difference, but with all the memories right in front of him, one after the other; it must be difficult to sort it out. He pins me down to ground has one fist in the air. I move my head just in time because his right hand comes down to the floor to my left. "Your name is Peeta Mellark and you're District 12! You were a tribute in the Games with me. You helped me survive, and I helped you. It's what we do."


End file.
